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I think Smashwords did what they had to do.
Paypal has always had prohibitions against "pornographic"/erotic/sexual material in its TOS, dating back to at least 98 or 99 when I joined.
Both Smashwords and PayPal have the right to decide what sorts of content they will and will not carry and sell, just as I have the right to determine what sorts of political placards are allowed onto my front lawn and just as I exert some discretion as to what I say and when I say it. (Different social rules between the bar and hanging out with guys than at work.) This sort of discretion is everyone's right...and customers are allowed to react accordingly and raise a stink if they don't agree with those policies.
MANY companies tend to go with the path of least resistance. Rather than looking at the money they MIGHT make by carrying controversial material that appeals to a fairly narrow audience, they are terrified of the backlash and potential lost revenue from all of the publicity of carrying potentially controversial material.
Smashwords has taken the path of removing content PayPal has told them they must and I understand that decision...at this point, there really is no alternative for them. (Short of setting up their own payment processing system, which has all kinds of hassles and ultimately you are still dealing with the credit card vendors, who appear to be true instigators behind this because of the higher fees they charge for "questionable/high chargeback" materials.)
Somewhere when this brouhaha first broke out, somebody proposed a kind of "SmashwordsRedlight" as a separate storefront and entity, exclusively for erotica materials and using a different payment method. This idea has lots of merit IMO.
I still see this situation as an opportunity for erotica fans, authors and publishers to band together to serve their community. Set up a storefront, get involved with the community and become independent.
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